Shoot my dudes. I’m over a month late on getting this out. It’s been busy! The band is going to China in less than 3 weeks, and I’m starting a new job when I get back. Some seeds are growing, some are beginning to bloom, some are just being planted. Here’s some music.
Before we begin, the artwork for this episode was stolen from Eric Houppert. He took a picture of our rail of tickets at the coffee shop on a Saturday morning in 2016. It was one of the busiest days I had worked at the time, and it was so much fun. Now, operating under a different name, we get maybe twice that ticket rail on a Saturday and Sunday.
https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/6eyyJmjHXVKH7fuCWlAnO8?utm_source=generator
https://embed.music.apple.com/us/playlist/brotherless-radio-episode-7/pl.u-Ymb0ov5h24xpY
I sometimes start DJ sets with “Funky Thing (Pt. 1)” by Larry Ellis & The Black Hammer. It sets the tone for the kind of groove-forward, psychedelic weirdo I can sometimes be.
I will admit that I’m ready to dive into the deeper legacy of country/folk/bluegrass music, starting with the traditional to help me understand the current. I know “Jackson” by Johnny Cash & June Carter is low-hanging fruit, but I am seriously entry-level with this stuff. Be nice and help me out here. I pushed it away for so long, but I’m ready to study it now.
I’ve finally used one of my secret weapons: “Nattesferd” by Kvelertak (Kuh-vel-er-tak or tek). This is a Norwegian metal band that uses blues-based rock and roll riffs like they’re in style again (and I hope they are, because I learned guitar from a worshipper of blues rock and that’s all I can really do on guitar). This song takes its sweet time with a glorious TWO ENTIRE MINUTES, nearly on the dot, to build layers, one guitar at a time. The payoff is beyond worth it. Real freaks will notice when the acoustic guitar comes in. The verses modulate from a minor key to another minor key abruptly; specifically, three half-steps up. Or, you could see it as going to the relative major, but SIKE, it’s a minor key instead. I know another band that does this VERY well: Modern Life Is War— Another favorite of mine. Hm. Anyway the lyrics translate to something like this:
An explosion of a thousand kilos of steel
Direction Unknown country
Like a fist addressed to God is the atmosphere on fire
For the nomad there were no questions about life disappearing
Only wearing a layer of nylon skin, does he go to the edge of everything?
The light glitters with its dazzling absence
A desperate odyssey between razor-sharp cliffs
Night journey towards an unknown value
Farewell to everything you hold dear
All alone in a pitch-black sea
Ice bath in the moonlight
I already loved this song, but learning its message of existence in cooperation with nature made me even more proud to have a neuro-divergent level of appreciation for “Nattesferd” as a song. Oh, also, that’s the title of the album the song is on. Nattesferd translates to Night Traveler in English. Like the last lines up there, “All alone in a pitch-black sea.” You get it. So the album is a cautionary tale, a concept album, if you will. ok im done now
“Misdemeanor” by Foster Sylvers is “a better version of ‘ABC’ by Jackson 5” according to a friend of mine. “The Sun Won’t Let Us Go” by Cloakroom still kills me. That STP song has a totally sick diminished/dorian pattern in the guitar solo section.
I heard “Celia Inside” by The Cardigans at work one day and immediately loved it. It turned out to be the fault of my co-worker Abbie.
I’ve got a classic, some African jazz, a CCR deep cut, and a Brazilian pop/funk/rocknroll gem. Then we’ve got a gospel tune by The Clark Sisters that was sampled in a recent Jay-Z song. I just discovered that this track is not available on Spotify– sorry, almost everybody! Switch to Apple Music.
Syracuse, NY-bred Another Breath takes us into the second half this time around. I’m on a teeny tiny mission to make sure no one forgets about that band’s music, especially that last record.
“Mucky Fingers” by Oasis was written about me.
I know you know you think you deserve
an explanation of the meaning of life
YES DUDE, I DO. How do you expect any normal person to contextualize the things happening around them in a healthy way? I mean, still my favorite band, but damn Noel, I guess there are some lessons hidden in this silly, whimsical song. Fitting, coming after such a nihilistic song like “Belly Of A Whale.”
Roots reggae, a traditional Irish ballad, two underrated 80’s and 90’s jams (not in that order), and some very different examples of hip-hop. Followed by two excellent punk songs; again, two very different interpretations of punk music.
On the way out, I have two more examples of what hip-hop can be. Buffalo, NY’s Benny the Butcher just put out a record called Everybody Can’t Go. “Big Dog,” one of the standout tracks, has a Lil Wayne feature in classic style.
Finally, the producer Mustard has a great record called Perfect Ten that spawned the crazy single, “Ballin,'” with Roddy Rich that you know so well. Yes “Ballin'” is great. But were you one of the people that wondered why everyone was so passionate about the death of Nipsey Hussle? It’s ok friendo. Listen to the album’s title track, “Perfect Ten (yes ft. Nipsey Hussle)” and take note of the higher-calling-yet-sensible nature of his lyrics in this song. This planet doesn’t get a rapper like that all the time. Oh, also take note of the fact that the beat never drops. Jeff’s kiss. 🤌
I have another episode ready to go. I just need to find another night when I’m not exhausted or have plans or “should-be-working-on-something”ing myself into the void. Love you guise, and make wise Life Decisions™️.
John /// Brotherless
Brotherless, underscore, yo. 